Unsafe abortions still all too frequent

Unsafe abortions account for 13% of maternal deaths in Nigerian hospitals.

“Induced abortion: rates and trends worldwide,” published in the October 13, 2007 issue of The Lancet finds that the number of induced abortions fell from approximately 46 million to less than 42 million between 1995 and 2003. The worldwide abortion rate — the yearly number of induced abortions per 1,000 women, ages 15-44 — also dropped, from 35 in 1995 to 29 in 2003. On the whole, the decline was most dramatic in developed countries where abortion is, for the most part, safe and legally permitted.

In developing regions, where abortion is largely restricted and unsafe, abortion rates are actually only slightly higher than those in developed regions. An estimated 20 million unsafe abortions occurred in 2003, with 97 percent of those in developing countries, the study finds. And what’s more, health outcomes are much worse for women in these areas. According to WHO’s companion study, “Unsafe abortion: Global and regional estimates of the incidence of unsafe abortion and associated mortality in 2003,” 66,400 women die each year from unsafe abortions. In contrast, there are only 100 deaths from unsafe abortions in high-income nations.

In fact, deaths in Africa from unsafe abortions rose to 36,000 from previous estimates of 29,500. And though abortion is legally restricted in most of Africa, the overall number of abortions also increased from 1995 to 2003, perhaps due to the growing number of women of reproductive age there. “Africa has experienced major population growth since 1995, but the use of contraception isn’t growing as quickly,” says Janie Benson, vice president/director for research and evaluation at Ipas, commenting on the research. She also points out that restrictive laws in this region mean most abortions are unsafe.

Unsafe abortion is the second-leading cause of death among women admitted to hospitals in Ethiopia, its Health Ministry has said. And it’s the cause of 13 percent of maternal deaths at hospitals in Nigeria, recent studies have found. This trend is particularly disturbing given that all other regions — Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean — experienced a decline in deaths from unsafe abortions.

Reducing the incidence of unsafe abortion would immediately improve maternal health and mortality, the researchers point out. As evidenced by the overall decline in abortion rates, as well as deaths related to unsafe abortion, improved access to modern contraception and to safe abortion services, such as manual and electric vacuum aspiration, are crucial steps.

The law seems to be interminably intertwined with the incidence and safety of abortion worldwide, though not as some would expect, “Unrestrictive abortion laws do not predict a high incidence of abortion, and by the same token, highly restrictive abortion laws are not associated with low abortion incidence,” the researchers note.  But the data show that where abortion is legally permitted, it’s safer.

For example, in 1997, South Africa made abortion legally accessible. Since then, women’s access to family planning, abortion and postabortion-care services has increased. The new law has significantly reduced maternal mortality; abortion-related deaths dropped 91 percent from 1994 to approximately 2001. The proof is in the data. Liberalizing abortion laws can save women’s lives.

For more information, contact:
Kirsten Sherk
Senior Associate, Media Relations
e-mail: sherkk@ipas.org
phone: 919.960.5612
fax: 919.929.0258